Dictionary.com

intelligible

[ in-tel-i-juh-buhl ]
/ ɪnˈtɛl ɪ dʒə bəl /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for: intelligible / intelligibly on Thesaurus.com

adjective
capable of being understood; comprehensible; clear: an intelligible response.
Philosophy. apprehensible by the mind only; conceptual.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of intelligible

1350–1400; Middle English from Latin intelligibilis, equivalent to intellig- (see intelligent) + -ibilis -ible

OTHER WORDS FROM intelligible

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use intelligible in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for intelligible

intelligible
/ (ɪnˈtɛlɪdʒəbəl) /

adjective
able to be understood; comprehensible
philosophy
  1. capable of being apprehended by the mind or intellect alone
  2. (in metaphysical systems such as those of Plato or Kant) denoting that metaphysical realm which is accessible to the intellect as opposed to the world of mere phenomena accessible to the senses

Derived forms of intelligible

intelligibility or intelligibleness, nounintelligibly, adverb

Word Origin for intelligible

C14: from Latin intellegibilis; see intellect
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
FEEDBACK